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DSCP Newsletter - November 2024
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Welcome to the latest edition of the DSCP newsletter. We hope you find it useful and informative. Please contact us by email if you have any comments or suggestions for future newsletters (DSCPSecure@durham.gov.uk)
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Latest News from DSCP
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The Organisational Safeguarding Assessment is a self-assessment audit that helps organisations evaluate how well they meet safeguarding standards. The assessment is based on criteria agreed by safeguarding partnerships for children.
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The aim of the Organisational Safeguarding Assessment was reflect on how well safeguarding standards are embedded into frontline practice. It is a process that provides services with an opportunity to review, evaluate and update their safeguarding arrangement as part of the self-assessment, identifying good practice and areas to be developed. This was a pilot in the south of the county. A reflect and challenge event was held on the 27th September 2024, facilitated by the DSCP Independent Scrutineer.
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The Organisational Safeguarding Assessment had 9 self-assessment themes:
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The DSCP Business Unit have then used the information from this event to compile a multi-agency action plan that will be managed and reviewed through the Performance and Learning Group. The DSCP will also produce a brief Assurance Report reflecting each agency’s submission for the consideration of the Durham SCP Executive Group.
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Feedback from the partners completing the OSA:
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Priorities
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Priority One: Domestic Abuse
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JTAI inspections to address domestic abuse:
Alongside the theme of the multi-agency response to identification of initial need and risk (Front Door), from September 2024, the focused area of the Joint Targeted Area Inspections (JTAIs) will be the multi-agency response to children who are victims of domestic abuse. The JTAI will evaluate how local services collaborate to respond to domestic abuse, with a particular focus on the multi-agency response to children who are victims, including unborn babies and children up to seven years old.
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Domestic abuse has previously been a theme for JTAIs (2018), but since that time significant developments have occurred. The Domestic Abuse Act has been enacted, accompanied by updated guidance. Additionally, the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel released a paper on multi-agency safeguarding and domestic abuse. This paper presents findings from a thematic analysis of rapid reviews and local child safeguarding practice reviews where domestic abuse was a factor. In light of these advancements, inspectorates have determined that now is the right time to reassess the multi-agency response to domestic abuse.
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What is the Joint Targeted Area Inspection?
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In January 2016, the government introduced a new inspection framework, for Joint Targeted Area Inspections (JTAIs). The JTAI programme runs alongside other Ofsted programmes, for example full Children’s Services inspections and inspections of services and support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). JTAIs are joint inspections carried out by Ofsted, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation. The scope is to look at multi-agency arrangements, including the quality and timeliness of assessments, and to carry out a ‘deep dive’ investigation of the response to specific children and young people (usually described as the ‘theme’ of the inspections).
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The DSCP have a JTAI subgroup, this allows the DSCP to look at the theme of the JTAI and the local partnership evaluate practice again the evaluation criteria. The full evaluation criteria can be found at point 12 of the guidance document.
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The DSCP JTAI subgroup actively monitors, promotes, coordinates and evaluates the work of the statutory partners that help and protect children, including working effectively with other multi-agency groups that have responsibility for responding to domestic abuse
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The DSCP Practitioners should be aware of the scope, process and theme of the JTAI as they might be required to be part of the review, as there is an element of case focus and the need to hear the voice of staff. Support will be given via your own organisation.
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Priority Two: Harm Outside The Home
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We are delighted to announce that the Information Sharing Agreement relating to Harm Outside of the Home has been finalised and agreed by partners. This is a Tier 2 agreement, aimed at an operational level to provide a framework in which partners can exercise their duty to share information to safeguard children and young people, specifically when considering information relating to harm outside the home. We urge practitioners to use this as a tool to support sharing information for prevention and early intervention and access resources to help you understand sharing information using ‘public task’ as opposed to consent. Further information can be found via the multi-agency procedures HERE.
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“DON'T GET FINESSED” is a film produced by Elevate Her UK supported by Barclays Bank/Digital Eagles team and Snapchat, to raise awareness about young people being groomed, scammed, and financially exploited. It highlights the statistics and consequences including of gaining a criminal record.
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Priority Three: First 1,001 Days
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Safe Sleeping: SUDI Eyes on the Baby training
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The Eyes on the Baby training has been designed to help staff prevent SUDI (Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy) in County Durham. Most unexpected deaths of babies under 1 year occur in families living in impoverished circumstances with multiple risks or vulnerabilities, and a multi-agency approach is needed to reach the families most at risk of infant death. Training the multi-agency workforce in County Durham will help staff give advice about safer sleep, support shared working between services, and keep Eyes on the Baby to reduce SUDI.
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To access this training, login to your existing Me-Learning account or register HERE
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Priority Four: Mental Health and Wellbeing
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PLEASE SHARE WITH FAMILIES YOU'RE
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Investing in Children are in the process of arranging pilot neurodiversity family support drop in events, funded by the County Durham Care Partnership. There will be 8 sessions across the county to enable families to come and speak to services to find out more information about neurodiversity.
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The aims of the events are:
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To make families aware of the range of support available to them
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Promote needs-led that does not require a diagnosis
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To hear from families about the support they need
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We have planned some sessions in the daytime and some after school.
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Monday 18th November (11:00-12:30) - UTASS – Middleton In Teesdale
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Tuesday 26th November (15:30-17:00) - Oakerside Community Centre, Peterlee
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Thursday 5th December (10:00-11:30) - Jubilee Fields Community Centre, Shildon
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Just to confirm this event is open to families at any stage of a diagnosis, even if they have not seemed support previously but have any questions or worries.
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The impact of financial pressures on young people:
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This briefing uses insights from 2023/24 Childline counselling sessions and NSPCC Helpline contacts to explore how financial pressures are affecting young people.
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- From 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 Childline delivered over 200 counselling sessions where financial issues were mentioned.
- During the same time period, NSPCC Helpline handled over 130 child welfare contacts where financial issues were mentioned.
- Some young people expressed how material hardship affected their physical and mental health.
- Financial pressures left some children feeling like a burden and negatively impacted their self-esteem.
- Some young people described a deterioration of family relationships.
- Some young people felt that financial pressures acted as a barrier to their independence and autonomy.
- Some young people took on, or felt pressured to take on, caring and household financial responsibilities.
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16 Days of Action: Multi agency partnership training: Click on the link to sign up for the training listed below 16 days of Action 2024
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Safeguarding Week 2024
The DSCP held our annual Safeguarding Week, week commencing 14th October with an overarching theme of ‘Inclusion’. 21 sessions were facilitated by young people and practitioners from across the partnership and from further afield in Chicago. Over 1000 practitioners attended from multi-agency organisations to enjoy a week of learning, reflection and rich conversation, which we hope will have an impact on practitioner work with children, young people and families in the coming weeks and months.
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A full evaluation of the week will be shared but we would love to hear how the week has impacted on your work and practice. Please email dscptraining@durham.gov.uk with any comments or reflections.
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We will contact you in the coming months for further feedback.
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Unconscious Bias and Cultural Competency
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During safeguarding week, we had a number of enquiries for training around cultural competence. The DSCP want to remind partners of the new training course called unconscious bias and cultural competency.
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This course will explore the role bias can play in assessments and the understanding of family dynamics, by exploring personal beliefs and expectations, and where these arise from. The discussions will examine how we measure risk to children from diverse backgrounds. The course will also use some case examples to explore how this unfolds in practice.
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By the end of the session attendees will have:
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- an increased understanding of the influences of culture, faith/belief systems and social issues on parenting;
- heightened confidence in talking about their own and other people’s attitudes and beliefs and the impact on providing services;
- an increased awareness of the role of bias in decision making using published reviews as examples;
- explored essential procedures and direct work tools for safeguarding
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The next session will be held on 15th November 2024 (Zoom). Click here to book your place.
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Multi-Agency Procedures update
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The following updated or new multi-agency procedures will go live on the DSCP website on the 13th November 2024:
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- Information Sharing Guidance: This chapter has been revised in line with updated government guidance.
- Online Safety: Amendments have been made in line with the Online Safety Act 2023.
- Guidance for Safe Recruitment, Selection and Retention for Staff and Volunteers: A link has been added to Education Supply Chains – A Better Hiring Toolkit. This provides simple guidance to support schools and colleges to hire new employees in line with regulatory and industry best practices. It may be of interest to employers in other sectors.
- Referrals: Amendments have been made line with the revised Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023.
- Multi-Agency Safeguarding Arrangements Amendments: Amendments have been made line with the revised Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023.
- Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews: Amendments have been made line with the revised Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023.
- Domestic Abuse: This chapter has been updated to add a new section on non-fatal strangulation and to update definitions in line with revised Working Together to Safeguard Children 2023.
- Children and Families that go Missing (Including Unborn Children): This chapter has been updated to confirm the process around reporting a missing child.
Children of Alcohol Misusing Parents/Children of Drug Misusing Parents
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Click here to see all the multi-agency procedures provided by DSCP.
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SURVEY REQUEST: Distinguishing Between Parental Conflict (PC) and Domestic Abuse (DA)
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Sent on behalf of the Prevention and Early Help Partnership and Reducing Parental Conflict Steering Group
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As part of this work, we are contacting you to ask you to take part in a short stakeholder survey so we can better understand the resources, tools, supervision and support mechanisms in place to help practitioners distinguish parental conflict from domestic abuse in Durham. The survey has been developed for those managing family support practitioners in your organisation.
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The survey should take no more than 15 minutes in total.
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What we will be using the survey responses for:
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We will use your responses to these questions to understand levels of confidence amongst practitioners and managers to distinguish parental conflict from domestic abuse. We will then use this in our future planning to refine training and guidance for both practitioners and managers.
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If you have any further questions about the survey or any accessibility requirements please contact Fiona.smith@durham.gov.uk
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Please complete the Practitioner OR Manager survey below depending on your role.
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The surveys will be live for 2 weeks and close at the end of Friday 22 November 2024.
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Thanks in advance for your support 😊
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National Guidance and Useful Resources
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- Certificates recognising heartbreak of losing a baby extended - GOV.UK
- Thousands of pupils receive support to boost school attendance - GOV.UK
- School support staff body reinstated - GOV.UK
- Evaluation of the government’s 2016 to 2019 anti-homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying programme in schools Government Equalities Office and DfE, October 2024
- Declining standards in young offender institutions Ofsted and HM Inspectorate of Prisons, October 2024
- Kinship care: framework for local authorities DfE, October 2024
- Children’s social care dashboard DfE, October 2024
- Tackling child poverty: developing our strategy Cabinet Office, October 2024
- It's Not Love: teaching resources about positive relationships NSPCC Learning, October 2024
- Domestic abuse practice policy (PDF) CAFCASS, October 2024
- The impact of financial pressures on young people NSPCC Learning, October 2024
- Exploring the link between poverty and children entering care: insights from our research volunteer Together Trust, October 2024
- The effect of Sure Start on youth misbehaviour, crime and contacts with children’s social care Institute For Fiscal Studies, October 2024
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Contact us:
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Council Offices, Green Lane, Spennymoor, DL16 6JQ
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